MBBS in Philippines

The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country in the Western Pacific, comprising more than 7,000 islands. Its capital, Manila, is famous for its waterfront promenade and centuries-old Chinatown, Binondo. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of Old Manila. It’s home to the baroque 17th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and military prison.

Why you should study MBBS in Philippines

All the major cities of Philippines have numerous well established and world recognized MBBS colleges, universities and other educational institutions. International students are provided with the exceptional MBBS curriculum taught by proficient teachers and trainers. Philippines features ample educational programs according to the requirement and inclination of the students.

MBBS/ MD in Philippines

The duration of MBBS course in Philippines is 6 years. Foreign students are taught in English. In Philippines, a good number of universities have been recognized by the Medical Council of India, some of which have been listed below in our article. Alongside, studying MBBS in Philippines is very cost effective if you compare medical studies in India and other countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, China and Russia. The tuition fee, travel expenses, accommodation rentals and food expenses are all very economical in Philippines.
The MBBS aspirant must have scored at least 50% in 12th class and must have qualified the NEET exam to get admission in a medical college or university in Philippines. Different colleges may have different criteria, for further details check our articles on individual colleges in Philippines.

Many MBBS aspirants from India choose MD universities in Philippines due to below advantages

Advantages of Studying MBBS in Philippines

1.Recognized by Medical Council of India (MCI): MBBS Students will get ‘Eligibility Certificate’ from MCI & can practice in India after appearing for Screening Test. After Graduating students can apply for Government jobs in India and do PG/MD/MS courses in India.
2. Medical Universities Listed in the World Health Organization (WHO) Geneva, FAIMER etc. Graduates can apply for license with Medical Councils of more than 180 countries.
3. Full English Medium Teaching for all Faculties
4 .Affordable education, accommodation & living cost.
5. American Style PBL Curriculum. Eligible appear sit for USMLE.
6. Philippines is the fourth Largest English speaking country in the world. Education system similar to that of USA, as a result of a long relation with USA.
7. Medical & Nursing education geared towards Employment in USA/ UK and easy to pass USMLE [Medical] , CGFNS, NCLEX [ Nursing]
8. Since English is the language of communication and language of instruction in Universities, No need to learn another to talk to patients [Medical students] Therefore providing a better understanding of the subjects.
9.One of the largest immigrant community in USA is Filipinos
10.The Philippines has the highest English literacy rate in Asia – 93.8%.
11.The Philippines attracts students from more than 65 countries. Students from the United States and Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong are also studying in the Philippines

But there is a catch

Universities in Philippines follows American system of education. The medical UG course ( India’s MBBS) is divided into 2 parts, BS+MD. BS is 2 years course followed by 4 years of MD. Between BS and MD, students need to appear for an exam called NMAT. ( National medical aptitude test). Students need to score over 40 percentile in this test to qualify for MD course. Generally, Indian students clear this exam as you need to score 40 percentile only. ( Hope you know the difference between percentage and percentile). Also, you can take NMAT exam again ( it happens every 6 months) but still continue your course. But within 3 attempts, you need to clear NMAT.

So if you are confident of clearing this exam, go for Philippines. It is the best country to study barring this factor.

Many times, students take 3-4 attempts of NEET in India and thus clearing BSC in the meantime. If you have done so, you can straight away get admission in MD part of Philippines thus saving 2 year of BS course. Of course, you still need to clear NMAT exam.

Admission and Visa Process for MBBS in PHILIPPINES

An MBBS aspirant for Philippines must have the following documents:

ORIGINAL PASSPORT (minimum valid for one year).

ORIGINAL ADMISSION LETTER from University

CONFIRMATION LETTER from Ministry to Embassy of Philippines in the required country.

SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE (attested by ministry of education and ministry of foreign affairs)

For Visa 50% of first Year Tuition fee need to be deposited up-front through online medium.

MBBS course is available only for graduates. So students do 2 year graduation course before moving into medical course. Philippines is best option for students who already finished their graduation in India.

NMAT ( Medical entrance test of Philippines ) need to be qualified.

Top Institutes in Philippines

AMA School of Medicine offering 1+4 years =5 years MD course ( BS one year in India)

Please watch below video to see Pros and Cons of pursuing MBBS in Philippines.

Special Note

Few universities of Philippines were trying to launch one year BS course in India. As per update issued on 26th June’2018, this provision is not approved by Philippines enbassy. So students need to do 2 years BS course in Philippines.

Also, due to NEET qualify rule, pls check with MCI about NEET eligibility.

For Visa

Please take note of the following when submitting visa applications:

The Philippine Embassy (Consular Section) in New Delhi
Accepts applications from those who reside or work in Northern India comprising Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan

The Philippine Consulate General in Chennai
Accepts applications from those who reside or work in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and the Andaman Islands

The Philippine Consulate General in Kolkata
Accepts applications from those who reside or work in West Bengal, Jharkand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura

The Philippine Consulate General in Mumbai
Accepts applications from those who reside or work in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat.